Dell Inspiron 3700 Troubleshooting Guide

							support.dell.comBasic Troubleshooting 3-3
Be sure the following items are properly connected or installed:

AC adapter and AC power cable

Second battery or any other optional device installed in the media bay

Cables that connect external devices through the input/output (I/O) connectors 
and ports on the computer.
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A number of external factors, including temperature extremes and humidity, magnetic 
influences, sources of electromagnetic interference (EMI), and poor input power or 
signal quality, can interfere with the performance of your computer and attached 
devices. Monitors are especially susceptible to these environmental factors. The 
following items can adversely affect the performance of a computer:

Inadequate ventilation from operating the computer in a confined space, such as 
a desk enclosure

Direct sunlight causing the computer to overheat

Line noise or power drops and surges from electrical outlets due to poor wiring

Line noises or surges through telephone lines

High-voltage electrical appliances on the same circuit or operating in close     
proximity to the computer

Speakers, especially subwoofer, or telephone too close to the monitor,            
generating magnetic fields that distort the display image

Fluorescent lights causing display flickering or distortion

Electrical extension cords and keyboard and mouse extension cables

Too many devices on a power strip or multiple power strips from one electrical 
outlet

Electrical conduits in an adjoining wall or elevators on the other side of the wall

Large metal beams inside the wall behind the computer
If removing potential sources of problems does not help, tr y moving the computer.
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If you are experiencing problems with power to your computer, perform the following 
tasks:

Check the computer’s power indicator. When lit, the power indicator verifies that 
the power supply is operating.

If your computer is connected to a power strip, turn the power strip off and then 
on again. 
						

							3-4 Dell Inspiron 3700 System Reference and Troubleshooting Guide

Plug the computer directly into an electrical outlet, bypassing any power          
protection devices.

Plug a device, such as a lamp that you know works, into the electrical outlet to 
make sure the power source is okay.
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NOTE: If your modem can dial and connect to one Internet service provider (ISP) or to 
a fax machine, your modem is functioning properly. For assistance, contact the ISP to 
which you cannot connect.
If you are experiencing problems with a modem, perform the following checks:

If you have any other telephone devices plugged into this line, such as answering 
machines, dedicated fax machines, or line splitters, then bypass them and plug 
the modem cable directly into the telephone connector on the wall.

Reseat the cable connections.

Try a different cable; if you are using a cable that is 10 feet or more in length, try a 
shorter one.

Disconnect the cable from the modem and plug it directly into a telephone. 
Listen for a dial tone.

Low connection speeds can be caused by line noise. If you have persistent    
problems, contact your telephone company to check for data noise and         
imbalanced lines.
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If you have diskette drive problems, perform the following checks:

Make sure the diskette is not write-protected if you are tr ying to copy data to it.

Tr y a different diskette in the drive. If the new diskette works, the original one 
may be defective.

Check drive operations at the MS-DOS prompt in the Dell Diagnostics (refer to 
“Running the Dell Diagnostics” found later in this chapter) and the Windows 
operating system.

Check the settings on the Pa ge  O ne  submenu of the System Setup program as 
described in Appendix B, “Using the System Setup Program.”

Run the Diskette device group as described in “Running the Dell Diagnostics” 
found later in this chapter.
If you have CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive problems, perform the following checks. 
						

							support.dell.comBasic Troubleshooting 3-5
NOTE: Inconsistencies in the manufacturing of CD-ROM media may cause some 
higher-speed CD-ROM drives to vibrate more than others. Such vibration and         
associated noise do not indicate a defect in the drive or the CD.

Double-click 
My 
Computer and check to see if the drive is recognized by the 
computer. Most of the common boot sector viruses cause the CD-ROM or    
DV D - RO M  d ri ve t o  “disappear.” Use virus-scanning software (if Dell installed 
Windows 98 on your computer, you should already have virus-scanning software) 
to check for and remove any viruses.

Clean the disc with a soft, lint-free cloth and isopropyl alcohol.

Clean the drive as described in the next subsection, “Cleaning Diskette Drives.”

Tr y another CD or DVD title.
NOTE: Because of different conventions currently used in the industry, not all 
DVD titles work in all DVD-ROM drives.

Run the
 IDE Devices device group as described in “Running the Dell              
Diagnostics” found later in this chapter.

Refer to “Troubleshooting the CD-ROM or DVD-ROM Drive” found later in this 
chapter for further troubleshooting information.
If you have hard-disk drive problems, perform the following checks:

For Windows 98, run the 
ScanDisk utility by clicking the 
Start button, pointing to 
Programs—> Accessories—> System 
Tools, and clicking 
ScanDisk.

For Windows NT, run the error-checking utility by opening the property sheet of 
the affected volume(s) and clicking 
Check 
Now in the 
Error-checking section of 
the 
Tools tab.

Run the
 IDE Devices device group as described in “Running the Dell              
Diagnostics” found later in this chapter.

Check the settings on the 
IDE 
Configuration submenu of the System Setup    
program as described in Appendix B, “Using the System Setup Program.”

	
	


You can clean a diskette drive using a commercially available cleaning kit. These kits 
contain pretreated diskettes to nonabrasively remove contaminants that accumulate 
during normal operation.
If the kit does not contain instructions, insert a pretreated diskette into the drive and 
turn on the system. After 20 or 30 seconds, remove the diskette from the drive.

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							3-6 Dell Inspiron 3700 System Reference and Troubleshooting Guide
.,		.
		
Looking at and listening to your computer is important in determining the source of a 
problem. Look and listen for the indications described in Table 3-1.
If the problem is still not resolved, see the next subsection, “System Setup Program 
Options.”
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You can easily correct certain computer problems by verifying the settings for System 
Setup program options. When you boot the computer, it compares the system        
configuration information with the current hardware configuration. If the computer’s 
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An error message See Appendix C, “Error Messages and Flash Codes.”
The power indicator If the computer’s power status indicator does not come on, see “Troubleshoot-
ing a Power Failure” found later in this chapter.
The keyboard status 
indicators Press the  key, the  key, and the  key to 
toggle their respective status indicator. If the indicators do not light up, run the 
PC-AT Compatible Keyboards device group in the Dell Diagnostics (for 
instructions, see “Running the Dell Diagnostics” found later in this chapter).
The diskette-drive access 
indicatorThe diskette-drive access indicator lights up when data is accessed on the     
diskette drive. You can test this indicator by inserting a diskette into the drive, 
typing dir a: at an MS-DOS  prompt, and pressing . If the                
diskette-drive access indicator does not light up, see “Troubleshooting the   
Diskette Drive” found later in this chapter.
The CD-ROM/hard-disk 
drive access indicator The CD-ROM/hard-disk drive access indicator lights up when data is accessed 
on the CD-ROM drive or the hard-disk drive. You can test this indicator by     
typing dir c: at an MS-DOS prompt and pressing . If the CD-ROM/
hard-disk drive access indicator does not light up, see “Troubleshooting the 
Hard-Disk Drive” or “Troubleshooting the CD-ROM or DVD-ROM Drive” found 
later in this chapter.
A series of flashes See Appendix C, “Error Messages and Flash Codes.”
An unfamiliar constant 
scraping or grinding 
sound when a drive is 
accessedMake sure the sound is not caused by the application program that is running. 
The sound could also be caused by a hardware malfunction. See Chapter 5, 
“Getting Help,” for instructions on obtaining technical assistance from Dell.
The absence of a familiar 
sound When you turn on the computer, you can hear the hard-disk drive spin up, and 
the computer tries to access the boot files from the hard-disk drive or the     
diskette drive. If your computer does not boot, call Dell for technical assistance. 
(See Chapter 5, “Getting Help,” for instructions.) Otherwise, see “Running the 
Dell Diagnostics” found later in this chapter.
NOTE: For the full name of an abbreviation or acronym used in this table, see the Glossary in the system Help. 
						

							support.dell.comBasic Troubleshooting 3-7
hardware configuration doesn’t match the information recorded by the System Setup 
program options, an error message may appear on the display.
To fix this problem, correct the appropriate options in the System Setup program. See 
Appendix B, “Using the System Setup program,” for detailed information about the 
System Setup program and its options.
If, after checking the setup options, you have not resolved the problem, see “Running 
the Dell Diagnostics” found later in this chapter.
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Because most computers have several application programs installed in addition to 
the operating system, isolating a software problem can be confusing. Software errors 
can also appear to be hardware malfunctions at first. Software problems can result 
from the following circumstances:    

Improper installation or configuration of a program

Input errors 

Drivers that may conflict with certain application programs 

Memor y conflicts resulting from the use of terminate-and-stay-resident (TSR) 
programs, such as drivers    

Interrupt conflicts between devices
You can confirm that a computer problem is caused by software by first running the 
System Board Devices device group as described in “Running the Dell Diagnostics” 
found later in this chapter. If all tests in the device group complete successfully, the 
error condition is most likely caused by software.
The following subsections provide general guidelines for analyzing some software 
problems. For detailed troubleshooting information on a particular program, see the 
documentation that accompanied the software or consult the support ser vice for the 
software.
	
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When you obtain software, check it for viruses using virus-scanning software before 
installing it on the computer’s hard-disk drive. Viruses can quickly use all available    
system memory, damage and/or destroy data stored on the hard-disk drive, and     
permanently affect the performance of the programs they infect. Several commercial 
virus-scanning programs are available for purchase, and most bulletin board services 
(BBSs) archive freely distributed virus-scanning programs that you can download with 
a modem.
Before installing a program, read its documentation to learn how the program works, 
what hardware it requires, and what its defaults are. A program usually includes 
installation instructions in its accompanying documentation and a software installation 
routine on its program diskettes. 
						

							3-8 Dell Inspiron 3700 System Reference and Troubleshooting Guide
The software installation routine assists you in transferring the appropriate program 
files to the computer’s hard-disk drive. Installation instructions may provide details 
about how to configure the operating system to successfully run the program. Always 
read the installation instructions before running a program’s installation routine. If you 
are instructed to modify the start-up files, see the documentation that came with the 
operating system for instructions.
When you run the installation routine, be prepared to respond to prompts for        
information about how the computer’s operating system is configured, what type     
of computer you have, and what peripherals are connected to the computer.



Whenever you start or reboot the computer, the operating system executes          
commands from its start-up files.
These files contain commands that automatically configure the operating system by 
setting system parameters, starting memory-resident programs, and loading device 
driver software. If you experience program conflicts or memory error messages, 
check the commands for memory-resident programs in the start-up files of the     
operating system. (For information on start-up files, see the documentation that came 
with the operating system). If a program or peripheral does not work correctly, check 
the product’s documentation to see if you need to modify these files.
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The following subsections discuss errors that can occur while using software.







Error messages can be produced by an application program, the operating system, or 
the computer. Appendix C, “Error Messages and Flash Codes,” discusses the error 
messages generated by the computer. If you receive an error message not listed in 
Appendix C, check the operating system or application program documentation.




If a specific key or set of keys is pressed at the wrong time, a program may give you 
unexpected results. 
See the documentation that came with the application program 
to make sure the values or characters you are entering do not conflict with the      
application program you are using. 
Make sure the operating system is compatible with the programs you use. Keep in 
mind that whenever you change the parameters of the computer’s operating system, 
you may affect the successful operation of the programs. Sometimes, after modifying 
the operating system, you may need to reinstall a program that no longer runs 
properly. 
						

							support.dell.comBasic Troubleshooting 3-9






There are a variety of utilities and supplementar y programs that can be loaded either 
when the computer boots or from an operating system prompt. These programs are 
designed to stay resident in system memory and thus always be available for use. 
Because they remain in the computer’s memor y, memory conflicts and errors can 
result when other programs require use of all or part of the memor y already occupied 
by these TSR programs.
Typically, the operating system’s start-up files contain commands to start TSR         
programs when you boot the computer. If you suspect that one of these TSR          
programs is causing a memor y conflict, remove the commands that start them from 
the start-up file. If the problem you were experiencing does not recur, one of the TSR 
programs probably created the conflict. Add the TSR commands back into the start-up 
files one at a time until you identify which TSR program is creating the conflict.





Some programs may leave portions of their setup information behind, even though 
you have exited from them. As a result, other programs cannot run. Rebooting the 
computer can confirm whether or not these programs are the cause of the problem.
Other programs use specialized subroutines called drivers that can cause problems in 
the computer. For example, a variation in the way the data is sent to an external    
monitor may require a special screen driver program that expects a certain kind of 
video mode or monitor. In such cases, you may have to develop an alternative method 
of running that particular program—for example, the creation of a boot file made 
especially for that program. For help with this situation, call the support ser vice 
offered by the manufacturer of the software you are using.
 

 




Problems can arise if two devices attempt to use the same interrupt request (IRQ) 
line. To avoid this type of conflict, check the documentation for the default IRQ line 
setting for each installed device. Then consult Table 3-2 to configure the device for 
one of the available IRQ lines.
NOTES: Installed devices cannot share the same COM port address. The default 
address of the computer’s serial port is COM1.
To view IRQ line assignments in the Microsoft Windows 98 operating system, click 
the 
Start button, point to 
Settings, and click 
Control Panel. Double-click the 
System 
icon. Select the 
Device Manager tab, and then double-click 
Computer. 
						

							3-10 Dell Inspiron 3700 System Reference and Troubleshooting Guide
 
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IRQ0 Reser ved; generated by the system timer
IRQ1 Reser ved; generated by the keyboard controller to signal that 
the keyboard output buffer is full
IRQ2 Reser ved; generated internally by the interrupt controller to 
enable IRQ8 through IRQ15
IRQ3 Available for use by a PC Card unless the integrated serial port 
or infrared port is configured for COM2 or COM4
IRQ4 Available for use by a PC Card unless the integrated serial port 
or infrared port is configured for COM1 (the default) or COM3
IRQ5 Available for use by the audio controller
IRQ6 Generated by the diskette drive controller to indicate that the 
diskette drive requires the attention of the microprocessor
IRQ7 Available for use by a PC Card or audio controller if the parallel 
port is disabled
IRQ8 Reser ved; generated by the system I/O controllers RTC
IRQ9 Reser ved; generated by the video controller
IRQ10 Available for use by a PC Card or audio controller unless the     
C/Port Family APR or C/Dock Family Expansion Station is 
attached
IRQ11 Generated by USB, PC Card, and audio controllers; available for 
use by a PC Card
IRQ12 Reser ved; generated by the keyboard controller to indicate that 
the output buffer of the DualPoint integrated pointing device or 
the external PS/2 mouse is full
IRQ13 Reser ved; generated by the math coprocessor
IRQ14 Reser ved; generated by the hard-disk drive to indicate that the 
drive requires the attention of the microprocessor
IRQ15 Reser ved; generated by CD-ROM drive in the media bay          
to   indicate that the drive requires the attention of the             
microprocessor
NOTE: For the full name of an abbreviation or acronym used in this table, see the Glossary 
in the system Help. 
						

							support.dell.comBasic Troubleshooting 3-11

	
This section provides troubleshooting procedures for integrated components (such as 
the display) and for external devices that connect to the computer (such as an external 
monitor). Before performing any of the procedures in this section, see “Checking the 
Basics” found earlier in this chapter and read the safety instructions at the front of this 
guide. Then perform the appropriate troubleshooting procedure for the component or 
equipment that is malfunctioning.
NOTE: When you see the question “Is the problem resolved?” in a troubleshooting 
procedure, perform the operation that caused the problem to see if the problem still 
occurs.
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Liquids, spills and splashes, rain, and excessive humidity can cause moisture damage 
to the computer. If the computer gets wet or if condensation forms on the computer 
because of humid conditions, perform the following steps.

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1. Turn off the computer and disconnect it from the AC adapter. Then disconnect 
the AC adapter from the electrical outlet. Turn off any attached peripherals and 
disconnect them from their power sources and then from the computer. 
2. Ground yourself by touching one of the metal connectors on the back of the 
computer.
3. If the media bay is wet, remove the device from the bay. If the PC Card slot is 
wet, remove any PC Cards. Put the device and cards in a safe place to dry.
4. Remove any installed batteries.
Wipe off each batter y and store it in a safe place to dr y.
5. Remove the hard-disk drive.
For instructions, refer to “Installing an Internal Hard-Disk Drive” in Chapter 2. 
6. Remove the memory module(s).
For instructions, refer to “Installing Memory Modules” in Chapter 2. 
						

							3-12 Dell Inspiron 3700 System Reference and Troubleshooting Guide
7. Open the display, and place the computer across two books or similar props to 
let air circulate all around it. Let the computer dr y for at least 24 hours.
Place the computer in a dry area at room temperature. Do not use artificial 
means to speed up the dr ying process.  

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8. Ground yourself by touching one of the unpainted metal connectors on the I/O 
panel.
9. Replace the memory module(s).
10. Replace the memory module cover.
11. Reinstall the hard-disk drive.
12. Reinstall the media bay and PC Cards that you removed in step 3.
13. Replace any batteries that you removed in step 4.
14. Reconnect the computer and peripherals to an electrical outlet and turn them on.
15. Does the computer work properly?
Ye s .  
The problem is resolved. 
No. 
If the computer is able to boot, run the Dell Diagnostics to identify computer 
damage. If the computer is unable to boot, see “Troubleshooting a Power        
Failure” found later in this section. If you cannot identify the damaged            
component(s), call Dell for technical assistance. (See Chapter 5, “Getting Help,” 
for instructions.) 
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If the computer is dropped or damaged, perform the following steps:
1. Save and close any open files, exit any open application programs, and shut down 
the computer.
2. Disconnect the computer from the electrical outlet. Then disconnect the AC 
adapter from the electrical outlet. Turn off any attached peripherals and              
disconnect them from the electrical outlet and then from the computer.
3. Ground yourself by touching one of the metal connectors on the back of the 
computer.
4. Remove any installed batteries or other devices from the media bay.
5. Remove the hard-disk drive.
For instructions, refer to “Installing an Internal Hard-Disk Drive” in Chapter 2.